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Factions
Playable Factions The Octavian Empire Founded by soldiers and preserved by military discipline and devotion to the art of war, the Octavian Empire is an army as much as it is a nation. Children are born into legions and raised to do battle among the stars. Fighter pilot, merchant, and engineer are all driven by the desire to restore their ancient empire to its former glory, dreaming of a day when the Octavian banner flies across known space. The Octavian legions are governed by the senate, which rules from the transported world of Ares Prime. For the moment, the imperial throne lies vacant. Many commanders and pilots dream of seizing the power of the emperor, but at the moment no faction has the power to enforce its claim. This is a source of constant intrigue in Octavian space, and a drain on energy and resources. If an emperor can gain the full support of the legions, it could herald a new age of Octavian aggression. The Quantar Paths Outsiders often scoff at Quantar mysticism, but faith has sustained the Quantar people through many trials. In the wake of the The Shift and corruption in the world gone before, the Quantar have splintered; there are over a dozen Quantar paths, each with a different view of the universal truth. They are united by the fundamental belief that human destiny lies among the stars, and that the Skein itself will guide the thoughts of any pilot who learns to listen. The Quantar construct their ships according to spiritual principles, and they believe that the pilot and ship become a single being. While few outsiders take these ideas seriously, there is no question that the Quantar are gifted pilots. This may simply be the result of being raised among the asteroids and having learned to dodge rock as children. Or it may be that the prophets speak the truth, and that it is the Skein that flows through the hands of the helmsman. The Solrain Commonwealth Once a benevolent mercantile state, the Solrain Commonwealth has been corrupted by greed and the thirst for power. Corporate powers rebuilt Solrain society after the devastating Shift, and today it's difficult to tell the difference between the corporations that maintain the global infrastructure and the criminal organizations that lie just below the surface. Major syndicates such as the mercenary Combine and the bloated Zelcane Trust now control trade and compete for domination of the Commonwealth Council, where executives rule alongside mere elected officials, and often hold far more power. This has created a culture of cynics and opportunists – mercenaries, smugglers, and privateers searching for new ways to make a profit. While it is no place for the altruist, the Commonwealth is filled with opportunities for those with the courage and skill to seize them. And beneath the cold veneer, there are a few hidden heroes – idealists such as the underground Commonwealth Restoration Organization, who oppose the corporate cancer and struggle to restore Solrain virtue. As internecine conflicts take place in the councils and boardrooms, Solrain's frontiers are threatened by enemies both new and old. The other major nations remain an ever-present source of expansionist pressures and competition for resources, but in the century since the Shift, more vicious groups have arisen with much less to lose. Border disruptions and pirate raids may be an occasional nuisance in frontier systems such as Bleakstone, but when even the busy manufacturing centers of the Zelcane Triangle are threatened, the Commonwealth's citizens must wonder if the bright trading hub at Solrain Core is still truly safe. Non-Playable Factions The Hyperial Protectorate The Amananth Faction Standing *No matter what faction you choose, you will not be pigeon-holed into dealing with only your own kind. *It will be possible to gain standing with any of the playable (and several non-playable) factions, creating many different role playing and game play possibilities. Sources *Allakhazam Leipzig Game Convention Hands On - Allakhazam